glenmorehttp://www.readthehook.com/taxonomy/term/925/all
enIt's about timehttp://www.readthehook.com/108845/its-about-time
<p>The <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/108817/glenmore-kessler-house-sells-finally-charlottesville">story</a>.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/108845/its-about-time#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedglenmoreCultureVultureMon, 03 Dec 2012 13:32:31 +0000hawes108845 at http://www.readthehook.comGlenmore manor home sells after nearly two and a half yearshttp://www.readthehook.com/108817/glenmore-kessler-house-sells-finally-charlottesville
<p><strong>8/14/12 </strong><br /><br /><strong>Charlottesville</strong><br /><br />Gerald G. Fahnestock to John, Kathryn &amp; Rachel Gendreau, 1174 Rose Hill Drive, $170,000<br /><br />Stanley W. &amp; Lisa G. Butler to Adam Smith&nbsp; &amp; Jennifer Freeman, 2313 Tarleton Drive, $225,000<br /><br />Gaffney Homes, LLC to Piedmont Realty &amp; Construction, LLC, 110 Morgan Court, $63,000<br /><br />Gaffney Homes, LLC to Piedmont Realty &amp; Construction, LLC, 114, 116, 118, 121 &amp; 123 Morgan Court, $390,000<br /><br /><strong>8/15/12</strong><br /><br /><strong>Albemarle&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><br /><br />Shiflett Farm, LLC to NVR, Inc., 505 Jonna Street, $100,000<br /><br />Vanderlinde Housing, Inc. to Southern Property, LLC, 4045 Copperfield Ridge, $155,000<br /><br />Henry E. Sullivan to Creighton Hoover, 102 Northwest Lane, $227,000<br /><br />Jonathan R. &amp; Michelle S. Mason to Jon D. &amp; Cherral W. Mason, 1264 Chatham Ridge, $231,000<br /><br />Scott L. &amp; Hanna K. Sanoff to Joseph R. &amp; Melissa J. Sacco, 944 Grayson Lane, $461,000<br /><br />Piedmont Realty &amp; Construction LLC to Joseph E. Krenn &amp; Sarah Ogle, 839 Belvedere Boulevard, $479,932<br /><br /><span class="cameraIcon"></span>Peggy B. Kessler, Trustee to Mary Virginia B. &amp; Richard S. Kelly, Jr., 1000 Glenmore Way, $1,525,000<br /><br />Jane A. Scatena, Trustee to F. Egolf &amp; M. Jane Rider, Trustees, 2250 Buck Mountain Road, $7,091,700<br /><br /><strong>8/16/12</strong><br /><br /><strong>Albemarle&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong>&nbsp; <br /><br />Woodlands of Charlottesville, LLC to Roya Edelstein, 1915 Beechcrest Court, Unit 101, $176,300<br /><br />Louis B. Brill II to Caleb H. &amp; Lisa A. Springsteen, 1430 Willow Lake Drive, $225,000<br /><br />William C. &amp; Barbara A. Hall to Raymond W. &amp; Joyce M. Snyder, 1463 Bremerton Lane, $320,000<br /><br />Southern Property LLC to R. Todd Parker &amp; Anya L. Shepelavey, 5441 Park Road, $328,000<br /><br />James S. &amp; Karen C. Arthur to Francisco R. Portell, 1053 Tilman Road, $530,000<br /><br />Archibald D. &amp; Margaret G. Owen, Co-Trustee of the Owen Family Trust to Gerritt J. &amp; Tessa R. Goss, 45 Canterbury Road, $565,000<br /><br />&nbsp;Bradley W. &amp; Sonnia J. Kesser to Joseph D. Hostler &amp; Laura A. Jansen, 105 Apple Lane, $600,000<br /><br /><strong>Charlottesville</strong><br /><br />Eliseo Venavidez &amp; Marta Martinez to Argent Development, LLC, 519 Rougemont AveNue, $88,000<br /><br /><strong>8/17/12&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><br /><br /><strong>Albemarle</strong><br /><br />Octopus Property LLC to Klaine &amp; Jessica Hansen, 270 Riverbend Drive, Unit 3A, $113,000<br /><br />Xing Jian Wang to Route 240 Holdings, LLC, 5466 Three Notch'd Road, $150,000<br /><br />Thomas M. Hancher to James H. White, 3237 Gateway Circle, $178,000<br /><br />David J. &amp; Jayne P. Ashworth to Andrew S. &amp; Anna M. Fast, 425 Hickory Drive, $283,500<br /><br />Piedmont Realty &amp; Construction, LLC to Timothy J. &amp; Lauren D. Gearheart, 294 Claremont Lane, $355,000<br /><br />Piedmont Realty &amp; Construction LLC to David A. &amp; Jonna L. Garono, 1739 Old Trail Drive, $549,534<br /><br />William H. Espinosa to Beverly G., Sidders, Trustee; Beverly G. Sidders Trust, 23 Canterbury Road, $845,000<br /><br /><strong>Charlottesville</strong><br /><br />Ealorise Debra Holmes to VATN, LLC,&nbsp; 939 Charlton Avenue, $94,100<br /><br />Octopus Property LLC to Matt Zollinhofer, 705 Walker Square 3B, $142,000<br /><br />Octopus Property LLC to Alissa Goldman, 705 Walker Square 3A, $190,000<br /><br />Argent Development, LLC to David &amp; Judith T. Harrison 704 Shamrock Road,&nbsp; $232,000<br /><br /><strong>8/20/12&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </strong><br /><br /><strong>Albemarle</strong><br /><br />Teresa D. Caddell to Deutsche Bank National Trust Co, Trustee, 1973 Echo Hill Drive, $97,750<br /><br />Matthew S. Honaker to Secretary Of Veterans Affairs, 1245 Clay Court, $168,592<br /><br />Virginia L. Austin, Trustee to Abdul Latif &amp; Zarguna Ahad Nazar, 57 Court Place, $185,000<br /><br />Henry R. &amp; Michael N. Luniewski to Carl &amp; Diana Van Fossen, 945 Dorchester Place, Unit 203, $201,000<br /><br />Federal National Mortgage Association to Jarrett T. Catlett &amp; Vickie Lynn Walker, 855 James River Road, $209,900<br /><br />Ronald E. &amp; Leslie W. Riggs to Graham R. Nesbitt, 3164 Browns Gap Turnpike,$210,000<br /><br />Grace Jean Ross to Paul J. &amp; Muriel Grim, 1305 Branchlands Drive, $213,000<br /><br />Gardner-Dalton, Inc. to Abby Schoeb &amp; Frederick Carl Binter III, 3353 Turnberry Circle, $289,000<br /><br />John David &amp; Heather D’arcy to Robert C. &amp; Eugenie C. Atherton, 2222 Camargo Drive, $803,750</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/108817/glenmore-kessler-house-sells-finally-charlottesville#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedglenmorereal estatesoldReal Estate - $oldTue, 27 Nov 2012 15:06:42 +0000Samantha Masone108817 at http://www.readthehook.comGlenmoregate: Embezzling Comer gets another 3 years http://www.readthehook.com/89483/glenmoregate-embezzling-comer-gets-another-3-years
<p>Convicted embezzler Michael Comer stood before a judge today in <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/65864/more-guilty-pleas-ex-glenmore-officer">federal court </a>for the final sentencing in a string of charges that came to light when the Glenmore homeowners association <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/70847/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer">discovered it was missing money</a>&#8211;- and its former treasurer.</p>
<p>Kandi Comer, his wife, and her sister, Mo Gaffney, sat in the back of the courtroom as U.S. District Court Judge Norman Moon sentenced a gray-striped, prison-garbed Comer to 36 months on tax fraud and mail fraud charges stemming from embezzlement of Glenmore Associates, PBK Real Estate, and Kessler Enterprises&#8211;- companies associated with his wife's family.</p>
<p>Comer had already pleaded guilty. Between 2003 and 2009, he admitted he filed false income tax returns and had $2,548,212 in unreported, taxable income. He agreed to repay the additional income tax that's at least $933,028.</p>
<p>Comer's lawyer, Blair Howard from Warrenton, pleaded with the judge to consider Comer's children and the letters written by his mother-in-law, Peggy Kessler, and sister-in-law Gaffney, both victimized by Comer's financial machinations.</p>
<p>"It's true he betrayed his family," acknowledges Howard. "He used assets to buy a better way of life for his family." That included private school tuition for his two children.</p>
<p>Howard also noted Comer had never been arrested before his July 2009 disappearance, and that he received a glowing letter from the owner of the Jiffy Lube (where he worked for six months before heading to<a href="http://www.readthehook.com/67975/guilty-plea-comer-goes-directly-jail"> jail in April 2010</a>), who said he'd hire Comer as a manager even knowing his criminal past.</p>
<p>"At its essence, this is nothing but a garden-variety fraud," says Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Huber. "The fact he uses money to support a lavish lifestyle&#8211;- we see it all the time."</p>
<p>"There has to be some deterrent to people so they know there won't be a light sentence," said Judge Moon before sentencing Comer to 36 months on each charge, to be served concurrently, and a $5,000 fine.</p>
<p>The sentence won't, however, be served concurrently with the <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/67975/guilty-plea-comer-goes-directly-jail">18 months Comer's serving</a> on state charges, but Moon did give Comer credit for seven months he's already spent in jail, bringing his federal sentence down to 29 months. Altogether Comer will spend almost four years in prison on state and federal charges.</p>
<p>Before sentencing, Comer stood and thanked his family for their love and support, and vowed to be a responsible, law-abiding citizen when he gets out of prison.</p>
<p><em>Updated 2:20pm.</em></p>
http://www.readthehook.com/89483/glenmoregate-embezzling-comer-gets-another-3-years#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedCrime/JusticeglenmoreMichael ComerNewsMon, 21 Mar 2011 16:00:34 +0000lisa89483 at http://www.readthehook.comMore guilty pleas from ex-Glenmore officerhttp://www.readthehook.com/65864/more-guilty-pleas-ex-glenmore-officer
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16737" title="news-mikecomerbeforeafter" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter-325x182.jpg" alt="news-mikecomerbeforeafter" width="325" height="182" /></a><strong>Mike Comer before his world crashed down around him (left) and after he emerged from a month hiding in the woods.</strong><br />
<small><br />
</small></div>
<p>Glenmore Community Association's <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/06/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer/">former treasurer, Michael D. Comer</a>, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to one count each of mail fraud and tax evasion.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer admitted to embezzling from Glenmore Associates, PBK Real Estate, and Kessler Enterprises to make car and mortgage payments, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He also confessed to $2.5 million in unreported income between 2004 and 2009, and to owing the U.S. government $933,000 in unpaid taxes.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">The defendant faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the mail fraud conviction, and up to 5 years and $100,000 for tax evasion. He'll be sentenced March 28,.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer is currently serving an <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/04/comer-to-serve-14-months/">18-month sentence </a>for <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/04/13/guilty-plea-comer-goes-directly-to-jail/">four embezzling charges</a> and one money laundering count for stealing money from the Glenmore homeowners association.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">The former Glenmore Country Club prez caused a brief manhunt when he <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/21/after-comer-glenmore-group-missing-666k/">disappeared from his Wintergreen house</a> July 1, 2009, right before an audit of the HOA books, and was gone about a month.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/65864/more-guilty-pleas-ex-glenmore-officer#comments_BreakingNewsBusinessCrime/JusticeglenmoreMichael Comertax evasionMon, 06 Dec 2010 18:54:39 +0000lisa65864 at http://www.readthehook.comTarget practice: No charges in shooting of Glenmore womanhttp://www.readthehook.com/66734/target-practice-no-charges-shooting-glenmore-woman
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/news-glenmore.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-37382" title="news-glenmore" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/news-glenmore-325x203.jpg" alt="news-glenmore" width="325" height="203" /></a><strong>The gunfire in Glenmore that hit a woman has been deemed accidental.</strong><br />
<small>PHOTO FROM GLENMORE WEBSITE<br />
</small></div>
<p>Albemarle police say they've identified the source of the <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/08/30/stray-bullet-glenmore-woman-punctured-while-gardening/">bullet that randomly struck a Glenmore woman</a> in her backyard, and point to unnamed target shooters more than half a mile away. It's a painful reminder of how far bullets can travel.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"You should always have a backstop," says Albemarle Sheriff Chip Harding, who recently taught a hunter safety class. "It doesn't help the cause of hunters to have someone shooting irresponsibly."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">The shooting occurred around 8pm Sunday, August 29, when 61-year-old Justine Joscelyne was watering <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandina">nandinas</a> at her Darby Road residence in the gated Glenmore subdivision. Pierced in her right breast and suffering both an entrance and exit wound, she was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released later that evening.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Albemarle police spokesman Lieutenant Shawn Schwertfeger says the alleged shooter was part of a group of four sharing a shotgun and a rifle at a makeshift firing range in the yard of a residence in the 3700 block of Richmond Road. And although no slug was recovered, Schwertfeger says he believes the stray projectile came from the rifle.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Virginia has laws that prohibit shooting <a href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-286">across roads</a> or <a href="http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+18.2-279">at houses</a>, with increased penalties when a shooting occurs with malice. State code also makes it a class 1 misdemeanor to <a href="http://law.justia.com/virginia/codes/toc1802000/18.2-56.1.html">recklessly discharge firearms</a> to "endanger the life, limb or property of any person."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Police portray the members of the shooting party as cooperative and say that after consulting with the Commonwealth Attorney's office, they decided against filing any charges.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Albemarle police have declined to identify the gunmen or the owner of the Richmond Road property, and rejected a Freedom of Information Act request from the <em>Hook</em>, claiming that the identity of the shooter is exempt under FOIA.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Trevor Joscelyne, husband of the victim and president of the Glenmore Community Association, estimates that the Richmond Road residence lies about 1,000 yards from the Joscelynes' backyard, and says he's "certain" the house is a rental owned by Glenmore Associates, the company that developed Glenmore and which has had to pay back <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/21/after-comer-glenmore-group-missing-666k/">missing homeowner association</a> funds embezzled by Glenmore Associates partner <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/02/01/glenmore-embezzlement-once-missing-comer-will-plead-guilty/">Mike Comer</a>. "I think it's coincidence," says Joscelyne of that connection.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"They didn't break any laws," he says of the shooters, "and it was an accident."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">When the <em>Hook</em> spoke to his wife on August 30, the day after the incident, she said she felt "surprisingly fine."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Another outcome heartening to Trevor Joscelyne, he says, is that police are urging the county to consider tightening shooting rules in the growth areas, as will the Glenmore Community Association. Currently, Albemarle makes it illegal to discharge a firearm in an area zoned residential, but the Richmond Road residence falls under neighborhood model zoning, which is exempt from the county ordinance. "We're going to be pressing the county to extend the ordinance to cover neighborhood model zoning," says Joscelyne.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">After the notorious 2006 <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2006/05/18/covercruel.aspx">intentional shooting of a pet cat named "Carmen"</a> by an angry neighbor in the Bentivar subdivision, the Albemarle Board of Supervisors <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2006/12/21/NEWS-gunlaws-F.rtf.aspx">considered a ban on discharging firearms</a> within 200 yards of any house. But after hearing concerns that such action could harm Albemarle’s rural character and vex <a href="http://rule-303.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html">law-abiding hunters</a>, the Board took no action.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace"><em>Updated 11:30am September 7 to note Albemarle police's denial of the Hook's Freedom of Information Act request for the identity of the gunmen.</em></p>
<p><em>Updated 1pm September 3 with additional code on reckless handling of firearms and the possible connection with Glenmore Associates.</em></p>
http://www.readthehook.com/66734/target-practice-no-charges-shooting-glenmore-woman#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedCrime/JusticeAccidentsGrowthglenmoreshootingWed, 01 Sep 2010 20:44:24 +0000lisa66734 at http://www.readthehook.comStray bullet: Glenmore woman shot while gardeninghttp://www.readthehook.com/66743/stray-bullet-glenmore-woman-shot-while-gardening
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/news-glenmore.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-37382" title="news-glenmore" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/news-glenmore-325x203.jpg" alt="news-glenmore" width="325" height="203" /></a><strong>A stray bullet flew into the swanky Glenmore subdivision Sunday night.</strong><br />
<small>PHOTO FROM THE GLENMORE WEBSITE<br />
</small></div>
<p>The <a href="http://www.glenmore.com/">Glenmore subdivision website</a> touts the "simple joys of Southern living." In some quarters, shooting guns is such a joy, but that's one aspect of Southern life Justine Joscelyne never considered she'd encounter in the gated community east of Charlottesville.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">It happened on Sunday evening around dusk.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"I was in the backyard watering my plants and felt this intense pain," says Joscelyne of the August 29 incident. "It was a shock. The bullet went through my right breast."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Joscelyne, 61, says because of the way she was standing, the bullet didn't damage internal organs&#8211;- but left her with both an entrance and exit wound.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"I'd been out in my yard about 40 minutes," she says. "I'd heard popping sounds and thought it was fireworks. I'm certain it was outside Glenmore."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Joscelyne's husband, Trevor, who is president of the Glenmore Community Association, took her from their Darby Road residence to the UVA Medical Center, where she was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Police are investigating the shooting, according to a release, are examining "all possible scenarios." A follow-up call to Albemarle police spokesman Lieutenant Shawn Schwertfeger did not reveal additional details, but Justine Joscelyne is convinced her wound came from target shooting.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"I would like people to do their target practice a long way from residences," she urges. "Police say they cannot recall an incident of people being hit by stray bullets. I think I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Actually, some veteran officers may recall the November 29, 1997, death of <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/stories/2006/03/30/coverunsolved.aspx">Janice Garrison</a>. While standing in her Stony Point backyard, she was struck and killed by what appeared to be a high-powered rifle bullet. Police charged an Albemarle man with a firearms violation, but decided they didn't have sufficient evidence to charge him with Garrison's death.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Interviewed around noon after her Sunday night trauma, Justine Joscelyne says she's not fearful about going out in the yard again to water her nandinas.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"I'm feeling surprisingly all right," she says. "Life goes on."</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/66743/stray-bullet-glenmore-woman-shot-while-gardening#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedCommunityCrime/JusticeAccidentsglenmoreshootingMon, 30 Aug 2010 19:11:40 +0000lisa66743 at http://www.readthehook.comComer to serve 14 monthshttp://www.readthehook.com/66972/comer-serve-14-months
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/news-comer-perpwalk.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-36388" title="news-comer-perpwalk" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/news-comer-perpwalk-325x390.jpg" alt="news-comer-perpwalk" width="325" height="390" /></a><strong>Mike Comer will spend 14 more months in jail.</strong><br />
<small><br />
</small></div>
<p>Mike Comer, former treasurer of the Glenmore Community Association and son-in-law of the late Glenmore developer Frank Kessler, will spend the next 14 months in jail for embezzling $465,000 from the association, according to both the <a href="http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/99893279.html">Charlottesville Newsplex</a> and <a href="http://www.nbc29.com/global/story.asp?s=12919498">NBC29</a>. On Tuesday, August 4, Albemarle County Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Higgins sentenced Comer, who <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/04/13/guilty-plea-comer-goes-directly-to-jail/">pleaded guilty in April</a>, to 15 years in prison with all but 18 months suspended. He has already served four months.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/66972/comer-serve-14-months#comments_BreakingNewsCrime/Justiceglenmoremike comerWed, 04 Aug 2010 15:18:47 +0000courteney66972 at http://www.readthehook.comMore Comer fallout: Glenmore C.C. soldhttp://www.readthehook.com/67841/more-comer-fallout-glenmore-cc-sold
<p>This morning's edition of the <em>Daily Progress</em> <a href="http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/glenmore_club_sold_to_pay_debt/55332/#When:02:22:58Z">reveals</a> that one of Charlottesville's major country clubs has been sold in the wake of a f<a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/04/13/guilty-plea-comer-goes-directly-to-jail/">inancial scandal</a> blamed on its ousted president, Michael Comer.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/67841/more-comer-fallout-glenmore-cc-sold#comments_BreakingNewsCrime/JusticeglenmoreSat, 24 Apr 2010 14:43:35 +0000hawes67841 at http://www.readthehook.comGuilty plea: Comer goes directly to jailhttp://www.readthehook.com/67975/guilty-plea-comer-goes-directly-jail
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16737" title="news-mikecomerbeforeafter" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter-325x182.jpg" alt="news-mikecomerbeforeafter" width="325" height="182" /></a><strong>A remorseful Mike Comer, unaccompanied by family members, pleads guilty to five counts.</strong><br />
<small>NELSONCOUNTYLIFE.COM/ALBEMARLE POLICE</small></div>
<p>Michael D. Comer, the former treasurer of the Glenmore Community Association accused of stealing $465,000, <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/02/01/glenmore-embezzlement-once-missing-comer-will-plead-guilty/">pleaded guilty </a>to four counts of embezzlement and one count of money laundering April 13, and immediately went to jail rather than remain out on $50,000 bond until his June 30 sentencing.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">He faces 120 years in prison and a $510,000 fine if he receives the maximum sentence on the five felony counts, Judge Cheryl Higgins advised Comer in Albemarle Circuit Court.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer, 46, <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/04/mystery-deepens-in-club-boss-disappearance/">disappeared</a> for nearly a month last summer on July 1, the same day the <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/06/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer/">homeowners association was readying an audit</a>.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">He wrote five checks in the fall of 2008 from the homeowners' account to Glenmore Associates, the company that runs the gated community developed by Comer's late father-in-law, Frank Kessler, who also founded Real Estate III. That company became a franchise of <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2010/04/08/re-iii-hooks-up-with-better-homes-gardens/">Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate</a> last week.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionRightLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/news-blair-howard.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-31169" title="news-blair-howard" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/news-blair-howard-325x231.jpg" alt="news-blair-howard" width="325" height="231" /></a><strong>Attorney Blair Howard acknowledges his client's poor judgment.</strong><br />
<small>PHOTO BY LISA PROVENCE<br />
</small></div>
</p><p>"Glenmore Associates was going through some very difficult financial situations in the fall of 2008," said Comer's Warrenton attorney, Blair Howard. "Mr. Comer was using very poor judgment as he tried to right the ship. He betrayed the trust of the Glenmore Community Association."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Glenmore Associates, which owns the Glenmore Country Club, of which Comer was president, has issued two notes to the homeowners association totaling $443,000. It has repaid $300,000, and has promised to pay the balance by August.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer is ordered to pay the Glenmore Community Association $167K, which includes $12,000 for the audit and $9,000 in attorney fees.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Glenmore resident Ann Harrod is satisfied with <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/12/01/indictment-day-comer-faces-grand-jury/#more-24181">Comer's guilty pleas</a>. "I didn't think he had any choice but to plead," she said following the hearing. "The data was all there."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Attorney Howard notes that Comer has accepted responsibility for his actions, has been cooperative with authorities, and is remorseful. Says Howard, "He feels very, very badly."</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/67975/guilty-plea-comer-goes-directly-jail#comments_BreakingNewsBusinessFeaturedCrime/JusticeReal Estateglenmoremike comerTue, 13 Apr 2010 18:09:13 +0000lisa67975 at http://www.readthehook.comGlenmore embezzlement: Once-missing Comer will plead guiltyhttp://www.readthehook.com/68823/glenmore-embezzlement-once-missing-comer-will-plead-guilty
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16738" title="news-mikecomerbeforeafter1" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter1-325x182.jpg" alt="news-mikecomerbeforeafter1" width="325" height="182" /></a><strong>Former country club president Mike Comer will plead guilty.</strong><br />
<small>NELSONCOUNTYLIFE.COM/ALBEMARLE POLICE</small><small> </small></div>
<p>The former Glenmore Country Club president and homeowner's association treasurer who disappeared July 1 moments <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/21/after-comer-glenmore-group-missing-666k/">before an audit </a>was in Albemarle Circuit Court Monday to set a date to enter a guilty plea on five counts of embezzlement.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Michael D. Comer, 45, appeared dressed in a blue blazer and considerably more clean shaven than when he emerged from hiding July 27. Accused of pilfering $666,000 from the gated community's coffers over the years he served as treasurer, he has been out on <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/666k-later-comer-arrested-after-wintergreen-discovery/">$50,000 bond</a> and ordered to stay away from Glenmore.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"We can put this down for a plea," said his Warrenton attorney, Blair Howard, cautioning that he and prosecutor Elliott Casey are waiting to hear from two attorneys&#8211;- presumably representing the Glenmore Community Association.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer is married to former club golf pro Kandi Kessler and was employed by Glenmore Associates, the company founded by his late father-in-law, Frank Kessler&#8211;- who developed the swanky, 700-home, east-of-Charlottesville subdivision.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Mother-in-law Peggy Kessler and brother-in-law, Jeff Gaffney, chairman and CEO of Real Estate III, have have put $300K toward the debt and pledged to repay the rest of the missing funds by August. Neither was spotted in court today.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">In the wake of the scandal, Peggy Kessler put her historic 10-acre Glenmore manse on the market for <a href="http://mycaar.com/(pysaayrqeqslk545spem54un)/propertyDetails.aspx?mls=472878">$2.75 million</a> in January. Meanwhile, Mike and Kandi Comer's house at 2930 Milton Village Lane, originally listed for $1.348 million and now reduced to $998K, is under contract, according to their <a href="http://www.angiedecker.com/MyHomeDtl.asp?HomeID=922524&amp;P=8">realtor's website</a>.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">The Comers' Wintergreen condo, from which Mike reportedly disappeared, <a href="http://mycaar.com/(5eonwt55icq5uzvwq0t53snk)/propertyDetails.aspx?mls=467879">54 Firtree Drive</a>, is for sale for $299,000. However, a Comer-owned investment property at 3803 Richmond Road, last listed for $325,000 (down from $425,000), is no longer showing up on the Multiple Listing Service.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer is scheduled to be back in court April 13 to formally enter his plea.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Also in court February 1 was another <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/12/01/indictment-day-comer-faces-grand-jury/#more-24181">accused homeowners association </a>embezzler. Kevin Thomas O'Connor, longtime Mill Creek Homeowners Association treasurer, was arrested November 9 and accused of taking $10,000, a number now believed to be significantly higher.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"He has publicly acknowledged his misconduct and continues to make efforts to compensate the homeowners association and cooperate with this investigation," says his attorney, Rhonda Quagliana.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">O'Connor will be back in court May 5 and is expected to enter a guilty plea.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/68823/glenmore-embezzlement-once-missing-comer-will-plead-guilty#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedCrime/JusticeReal EstateembezzlementglenmoreMichael ComerMon, 01 Feb 2010 18:08:50 +0000lisa68823 at http://www.readthehook.comGlenmoregate: Grand jury indicts Comerhttp://www.readthehook.com/69256/glenmoregate-grand-jury-indicts-comer
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16738" title="news-mikecomerbeforeafter1" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter1-325x182.jpg" alt="news-mikecomerbeforeafter1" width="325" height="182" /></a><strong>Will former country club prez Mike Comer plead guilty?</strong><strong></strong><br />
<small>NELSONCOUNTYLIFE.COM/ALBEMARLE POLICE</small><small> </small></div>
<p>An Albemarle grand jury <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/12/01/indictment-day-comer-faces-grand-jury/">indicted Michael D. Comer</a>, the former Glenmore homeowners treasurer who <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/04/mystery-deepens-in-club-boss-disappearance/">disappeared in July</a> about the same time an audit turned up <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/666k-later-comer-arrested-after-wintergreen-discovery/">$666,000 missing </a>from the association's coffers, December 7 on five counts of embezzlement.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"The grand jury exercised an independent judgment," says Elliot Casey, Albemarle assistant commonwealth's attorney, who mentions that the prosecutor does not appear before the grand jury in Virginia and the evidence is presented by the investigating police officer.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Casey refuses to speculate about whether Comer, who was also the <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/06/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer/">Glenmore Country Club president</a>, would enter a guilty plea. "At this point, Mr. Comer has not contested the evidence," says Casey. "He waived the preliminary hearing."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer's in-laws, Peggy Kessler, widow of Glenmore developer Frank Kessler and mother of Comer's wife Kandi, and Jeff Gaffney, CEO of Real Estate III, who is married to Kandi's sister, have pledged to repay the missing funds by August 2010 through their company, Glenmore Associates.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer next appears before a judge January 28 to schedule a trial date&#8211;- or enter a guilty plea. His Warrenton attorney, Blair Howard, did not return a phone call by press time.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/69256/glenmoregate-grand-jury-indicts-comer#comments_BreakingNewsBusinessFeaturedCrime/JusticeReal EstateembezzlementglenmoreMichael ComerTue, 08 Dec 2009 15:44:51 +0000lisa69256 at http://www.readthehook.comIndictment day? Comer faces grand jury http://www.readthehook.com/69321/indictment-day-comer-faces-grand-jury
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16737" title="news-mikecomerbeforeafter" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter-325x182.jpg" alt="news-mikecomerbeforeafter" width="325" height="182" /></a><strong>Mike Comer, before his July 1 disappearance, and after his July 27 arrest.</strong><br />
<small><br />
</small></div>
<p>Michael D. Comer, 45, the former treasurer of Glenmore Community Association who <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/04/mystery-deepens-in-club-boss-disappearance/">disappeared on the day of an audit</a> last summer, along with an alleged $666,000 of the <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/06/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer/">homeowner association's money</a>, goes to an Albemarle grand jury December 7 on five counts of embezzlement.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer, also the former president of the Glenmore Country Club, married into the family of the man who developed the gated community east of town. Comer has been out on <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/28/666k-later-comer-arrested-after-wintergreen-discovery/">$50,000 bond</a> since July 28, when his brother- and sister-in-law, Jeff and Motana K. Gaffney, posted his bond.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Jeff Gaffney is chairman and CEO of Real Estate III. His wife, Motana, is the daughter of Frank Kessler, late founder of the real estate company as well as the 700-plus-home golf community of Glenmore. Comer married another Kessler daughter, golf pro Kandi.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer's <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/21/after-comer-glenmore-group-missing-666k/">July 1 disappearance</a> from the couple's Wintergreen getaway home made him the summer's high-profile missing person until he appeared July 27 after calling his wife from a pay phone in Wintergreen.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">An audit of the Glenmore Community Association revealed that the Kessler family-owned Glenmore Associates, which employed Comer, owed the homeowners association $666,466. Through Gaffney and Comer's mother-in-law, Peggy Kessler, Glenmore Associates has made a payment of $300,000 and, issuing a promissory note for the balance, pledged repayment of $347,000 by next August.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Not all homeowners are satisfied.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"They made a huge mistake, and I knew it," says resident Ann Harrod, who believes Glenmore Associates ought to be sued for breaching a fiduciary responsibility. "The only way to get information out is through discovery," she says.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Glenmore Associates has offered up the Glenmore Country Club and four lots as collateral.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"Bogus," blasts Harrod, who argues that the club and lots could not be liquidated to come up with the balance due.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Since l'affaire Comer, the homeowners' association has made some changes to procedures that allowed Comer to serve as secretary/treasurer since 1994 with little oversight, while also being employed by developer Glenmore Associates.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"We have a new secretary and treasurer," says president Trevor Joscelyne, "and a whole new set of procedures. We have every reason to expect the rest of the money will be paid back."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">The Glenmore Associates-owned equestrian center recently was sold, and several country club staffers have been fired, according to Glenmore residents. And the club's former director of golf, Kandi Kessler Comer, now teaches private lessons through her new golf academy at Glenmore.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"The country club has suffered as a result of Mike Comer's actions," says Joscelyne.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Joscelyne believes there's no evidence the scandal has affected housing prices in Glenmore. "It happened, and we put it behind us," he says.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Still, the size of the alleged crime dwarfs the fall's other case of alleged homeowner association treasurer malfeasance. Kevin O'Connor, longtime officer for the Mill Creek Homeowners Association, was arrested November 9 and <a href="http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/crime/article/former_mill_creek_treasurer_charged_with_stealing_funds/49179/">charged with embezzling $10,000</a>.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">The Comers appear to be liquidating assets. They have listed a house they own on Richmond Road for sale originally at $425,000, now reduced to $325,000. The Wintergreen chalet has been offered for $318,000. Even their primary residence in nearby Milton Village has hit the market&#8211;- priced at $998,000, $32,000 less than what they paid in 2005.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Each of the five counts of embezzlement carries a maximum of 20 years in jail, and Comer, prohibited from setting foot in Glenmore, has kept a low-profile since his arrest. Neither he nor his Warrenton attorney, Blair Howard, returned a reporter's phone calls.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/69321/indictment-day-comer-faces-grand-jury#comments_BreakingNewsBusinessFeaturedCommunityReal EstatecomerembezzlementglenmoreTue, 01 Dec 2009 14:47:22 +0000lisa69321 at http://www.readthehook.com666K later: Comer arrested after Wintergreen discoveryhttp://www.readthehook.com/70698/666k-later-comer-arrested-after-wintergreen-discovery
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomer2.jpg"></a><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-16738" title="news-mikecomerbeforeafter1" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomerbeforeafter1-325x182.jpg" alt="news-mikecomerbeforeafter1" width="325" height="182" /></a><strong>The photograph shown to searchers when Comer was treated as a missing hiker</strong><strong> and his new mugshot.</strong><br />
<small>NELSONCOUNTYLIFE.COM/ALBEMARLE POLICE<br />
</small></div>
<p>One day after his arrest in Wintergreen's Mountain Lodge, <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/21/after-comer-glenmore-group-missing-666k/">missing Glenmore Home Association Treasurer Michael Comer</a> appeared Tuesday morning by video feed in Albemarle District Court where a prosecutor argued that he was such a flight risk that he should remain without bond at the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"The likelihood of his appearing [at his upcoming preliminary hearing] is slim at best," said Albemarle Commonwealth's Attorney Denise Lunsford, noting the amount missing from the Association "has a value of over $400,000."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer's attorney, Charles Sipe, standing alongside Comer's wife, Kandi Comer, cited the fact that his client was not under arrest at the time he disappeared on July 1 and that although found with his passport with him, the fact that he hadn't<a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/24/therutabaga-comers-twitters-suggest-new-leads/"> fled the country</a> should weigh in his favor. At the July 28 hearing, Sipe also noted that Kandi Comer has been "very forthright" with investigators, particularly in contacting police immediately after receiving her husband's call from a Wintergreen pay phone.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Dressed in jail stripes with rumpled hair and a beard apparently grown while on the run, Comer stands accused of embezzling as much as $666,000 from the Glenmore Homeowner's Association, which he served as treasurer. He said little throughout the proceedings other than answering questions with a quiet 'yes' or 'no.'<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Albemarle District Court Judge William G. Barkley set Comer's bond at $50,000 and required that he turn in his passport. If he can come up with money or property to secure the bond, Comer will reside with his wife and two children at their home, which currently <a href="http://realcville.blogspot.com/2009/07/missing-glenmore-treasurer-michael.html">on the market </a>for $1.35 million.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">(One local <a href="http://realcville.blogspot.com/2009/07/missing-glenmore-treasurer-michael.html">real estate blogger</a> notes that the house and another Comer-owned property are listed for $492,000 above their purchase prices from 2005 and 2008, a market-defying increase that, if realized, might chip away much of the alleged $666,000 Comer is accused of taking.)<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Dressed in a bright pink linen shirt and khaki pants, Kandi Comer, a former professional golfer and daughter of Glenmore developer Frank Kessler, remained composed throughout this morning's hearing as two other apparent Comer supporters prayed aloud in the back of the room prior to the proceedings.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Following the hearing, and speaking on behalf of the family, attorney Sipe pronounced them "relieved" that Comer has been found. "They're going to use the next couple days simply to decompress," he said, "and see where we go from here."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer's preliminary hearing has been set for September 3 at 9:30am in Albemarle District Court.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace"><em>&#8211;Last updated July 28, 11:18am</em></p>
http://www.readthehook.com/70698/666k-later-comer-arrested-after-wintergreen-discovery#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedCrime/Justiceglenmoremike comerTue, 28 Jul 2009 11:13:25 +0000courteney70698 at http://www.readthehook.comComer blamed: Glenmore group missing $666Khttp://www.readthehook.com/70743/comer-blamed-glenmore-group-missing-666k
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomer2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-15782" title="news-mikecomer2" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomer2-325x394.jpg" alt="news-mikecomer2" width="325" height="394" /></a><strong>The photograph shown to searchers when Comer was treated as a missing hiker</strong><strong>.</strong><br />
<small>PHOTO BY NELSONCOUNTYLIFE.COM</small></div>
<p>"A total of $666,446 is missing from our operating and reserve accounts due to apparently unauthorized activity by Mr. Comer over the last four years." So says <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/glenmore-community-assn-reports-666k-missing-under-comer.pdf">a statement</a> from the Glenmore Community Association, a neighborhood group that missing man Michael Comer served as treasurer.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/04/mystery-deepens-in-club-boss-disappearance/">went missing July 1</a>, moments before a meeting with auditors. Despite a fruitless search, <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/06/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer/">his ouster from leadership positions</a>, and expressions of family concern, he has not come forward to clear his now-sullied name.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">His wife, Kandi, a former professional golfer and daughter of the late Glenmore founder Frank Kessler, did release a statement to WINA radio.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"Over the past 20 years I have only known Mike to be honest and hard working," she wrote. "He is a wonderful husband and a devoted father who truly adores his kids. Neither the kids nor Mike's parents or I saw anything in the days and weeks preceding Mike's disappearance that seemed suspicious or out of the ordinary."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace"><em>&#8211;last updated 11:02am July 21</em></p>
http://www.readthehook.com/70743/comer-blamed-glenmore-group-missing-666k#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedglenmoreMichael ComerTue, 21 Jul 2009 11:20:56 +0000hawes70743 at http://www.readthehook.comComer canned: Homeowners oust missing treasurerhttp://www.readthehook.com/70847/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer
<!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><!&#8211; This will not be inserted &#8211;><div class="captionLeftLandscape"><a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomer2.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-15782" title="news-mikecomer2" src="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/news-mikecomer2-325x394.jpg" alt="news-mikecomer2" width="325" height="394" /></a><strong>The photograph shown to Wintergreen searchers</strong><strong>.</strong><br />
<small>PHOTO BY NELSONCOUNTYLIFE.COM</small></div>
<p>The case of the missing hiker is quickly becoming the case of the missing treasurer, as the homeowner association for Glenmore, the plush golf community, reveals that country club president Michael D. Comer <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/index.php/2009/07/04/mystery-deepens-in-club-boss-disappearance/">went missing</a> shortly before a key meeting about a financial audit. After his disappearance, the association replaced him as treasurer.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">"The behind-the-scenes view of this is that he staged this thing and ran off," says Tommy Stafford of <a href="http://knowyournelson.com">Nelson County Life</a>, the first local publication to notice the identity of the missing man. "They can't be 100 percent sure," says Stafford, who has conferred with several top law enforcement officers, "but things are certainly looking that way."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Comer, whose day job is the presidency of Glenmore Country Club and who also represents the developer of the neighborhood of over 700 homes, reportedly went missing shortly after 9:30am Wednesday, July 1. That, according to <a href="http://www.readthehook.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/glenmore-community-association-e28093-response-to-disappearance-of-mike-comer.pdf">a press release</a> from the homeowners association, was less than an hour before a meeting with two association board members to discuss "incomplete data made available to the auditor."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">After the discovery of Comer's vehicle that evening near his vacation house at Wintergreen Resort in Nelson County, a search began using rescue personnel and dogs. However, the following afternoon, the Nelson County Sheriff told Stafford that there was no evidence that Comer had gone hiking; and by Friday morning, the quest for the 45-year man in the Wintergreen area was officially terminated.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">“As far as any search by our agency, we have discontinued looking for Comer," Sheriff David Brooks reportedly told Stafford on the morning of July 3, "but do continue to monitor other avenues in the investigation."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Those "other avenues" could keep investigators&#8211;- at least financial investigators&#8211;- busy for a while, as <a href="http://www.glenmore-community.org/board/minutesb8.cfm">minutes from the Glenmore Community Association</a> show currents of concern between the Association, which Comer served as secretary/treasurer, and the Country Club and the development company, both of which Comer was also serving.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">With his marriage to former professional golfer Kandi Kessler, Comer, a former tour official on the LPGA's Futures tour, married into the family that developed Glenmore, and he assumed multiple roles over the years in the Kessler family businesses. He even ran the Frank Kessler Foundation, a non-profit that gives scholarships to local high school graduates.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">It was Comer's efforts in the supposedly independent homeowner's association that caused some friction recently. According to Association records, Comer missed the monthly meeting when his disbursement of funds to a paving company came under scrutiny. The concern, according to the January 15 minutes, was that Comer had used Association money to fully pay a paving company contract, something an aggrieved homeowner would later call an "interest-free loan."<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Two weeks later, at what the homeowner association termed a "special" meeting, Comer was reined in with several new rules: that contracts in excess of $10,000 would not only require board approval but also a voucher and the signatures of two officers on the check. That evening, January 29, the board reconvened to add another provision: initiation of a financial and managerial audit.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">Representing the interests of the homeowners and operating with a 2009 budget of $732,000, the Association reports financial assets, as of the end of May, of $983,000. In a process that preceded the current turmoil, many functions now borne by the developer, such as common area maintenance, will soon be handed over to the Association.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">The Association's July 6 release noted that Comer, representing the developer, has been "a supportive and well-liked board member" and that it moved to replace him as treasurer "in an abundance of caution." However, it also noted that it has "extended the scope of the external audit" beyond its original confinement to 2008.<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">With the homeowner association readily admitting in its minutes that its #2 expense is reviewing architecture and that even the governing board discusses such matters as uncut grass, unpainted bird boxes, and whether a particular contractor's sign is aesthetically pleasing, how can the public decide whether Comer engaged in financial shenanigans or simply had the misfortune of representing a family empire during a time of transition?<br />
</p><p class="whitespace">At this stage in the investigation, it probably can't. However, the results of the audit are due in two weeks, according to the Association. Comer could not be reached for comment.</p>
http://www.readthehook.com/70847/comer-canned-homeowners-oust-missing-treasurer#comments_BreakingNewsFeaturedPeopleReal Estateauditglenmoremike comerTue, 07 Jul 2009 03:55:37 +0000hawes70847 at http://www.readthehook.com